1. Field of Invention
The invention relates to a system and method for determining revenue derived from interactions involving personal information. The invention more particularly relates to the determination of revenue derived from an intermediary based on interactions involving personal information associated with end users aggregated from one or more personal information providers.
2. Description of Related Art
Looking back over the last five years, it is apparent that as the Internet gained momentum, consumers demanded applications or services that make their online experience simpler, easier to use, and more satisfying. The development of successful Internet Sites has corresponded with a number of themes which have developed over the last few years. When carefully analyzed this evolution is a logical development of the emerging digital economy.
Prior to 1994, the Internet was not a mass media, in part, because the existing technologies (FTP, Archie, Usenet, and Gopher) were not user friendly and required the end user to do all of the work (e.g., the end user had to learn of an existing data source, find the address, navigate to the destination, and download the information). As more consumers began accessing the Internet, Search Engines were created to solve this usability issue. With the advent of the commercial Search Engine, additional content could be easily added to the Internet and the end user had a means of finding and accessing this information. Consumers required better tools than Search Engines for organizing and accessing this wealth of generic content. Push technologies were explored, and eventually, the portal strategy was successfully adopted as an efficient way for consumers to easily access a variety of content sources in a single, easy to use format. As the volume of available online content continues to grow exponentially, portals are now confronted with the need to make different types of content available to different consumers based upon their particular preferences and tastes.
The phenomenal success of Internet portals and destination sites has demonstrated the importance of creatively and intelligently aggregating, organizing and presenting the mass of information available on the Web. Search engines, portals and destination sites have Internet strategies based on the frequency, duration and quality of end user visits to their sites. For this reason, destination sites and portals are constantly seeking content and/or technologies which drive quality traffic to their site and keep it there. Recent trends indicate that Internet users are up to 25 times more likely to come back to a site when this information is organized according to personal preferences.
FIG. 1 displays the current process of acquiring online PI 100. The end user first selects an information provider site in step 110. The end user proceeds to step 120 by locating and entering the Internet address of the selected information provider. This step may be accomplished in several manners with varying levels of complexity. A simple means for accomplishing this step is the utilization of a bookmark or favorite whereas locating an information provider for the first time might involve significant time and effort performing online searches. In step 130, the end users logs into the selected information provider""s Web site utilizing the site""s specific logon protocol. This protocol usually involves verifying the identity of the end user using a user name and password or other means of verification, acquiring the verification data from cookies residing on the end user""s system or a combination of requested data and cookie data. The end user continues in step 140 by navigating through Web pages on the information provider""s Web site until the desired information is located. During this process, the end user is often required to visit Web pages of little or no use to the end user whose goals is to simply acquire the particular PI residing on the Web site. Ultimately in step 150, the end user is presented with the desired PI. The entire process 100 is repeated for each individual piece of PI desired by the end user. Under this PI access model, the end user must visit each separate information provider, track potentially different identity verification data for each, utilize a different user interface at each site and possibly wade through a significant number of filler Web pages.
FIG. 4 pictorial illustrates the architecture of this current access process. The end user 210 utilizes the client computer 220 to access each PI Web site 250 across the Internet 230. This current model suffers from several significant deficiencies. The end user must login to each site separately. Each separate site has its own graphical user interface. Each site wants the end user to stay and return; each visited site wants to retain end user focus for as long as possible. No true aggregation of PI exists; multiple accesses simply allow sequential access to particular pieces of PI.
One partial solution to these problems has recently evolved in the form of portal sites. Generic portal sites aggregate resources into categories and provide links to sites covering topics within those categories. Yahoo and Excite are examples of generic portal sites. These sites facilitate horizontal aggregation of generic content; horizontal aggregation refers to aggregation of PI access within a particular information provider category such as banks or utility companies. Some portal site allows individual end users a limited capability to select and configure disparate generic PI. Generic PI refers to PI of interest to the particular end user that does not require specific identity verification to obtain. For example, an end user might be interested in the weather forecast for his local area. This information could be integrated into a portal page without requiring identity verification of the particular end user receiving this PI. The individualized portal page provides a significant benefit to users seeking to aggregate generic PI. However, current portal pages do not generally provide PI requiring identity verification such as an end user""s stock portfolio or bank balance. Further, these pages do not facilitate transactions utilizing PI.
Under current technology, aggregating PI available over the Internet requires a significant burden in terms of time, effort and learning curve. An end user wishing to access his PI needs to individually visit a variety of information provider sites each with its own requirements, graphical user interface and login protocol.
The present invention is a system and method for automated access to personal information associated with an end user, wherein the personal information is stored on a personal information provider. A representation of the personal information and a link corresponding to the personal information stored on the personal information are presented to the end user via a client computer. Upon activation of the link, the client computer is automatically driven to the personal information provider presenting to the user via the client computer a page on the personal information provider.
In one embodiment, an application is downloaded to the client. The downloaded application initiates a connection between the client computer and the personal information provider. The application navigates through pages on the personal information provider until arriving at the personal information. Finally, the application presents the personal information to the user on the client computer. The application may be either generated with any necessary data associated with the end user and associated with the personal information or such data may be transmitted to the application. The data associated with the personal information provider may include a navigation script for guiding the application to the personal information. The data associated with the end user may include any data necessary to effectuate the navigation via the navigation script.
In a further embodiment, a message including any necessary user data and personal information provider data is transmitted to the client computer causing the client computer to automatically log the end user into the personal information provider, thereby leaving the end user at a post login page. In a preferred embodiment, the message comprises a page containing a form, which includes login information that upon opening by software on the client computer redirects the client computer to a post login page.
In yet a further embodiment, the client computer is driven to the personal information by connecting to the personal information provider, navigating to the personal information on the personal information provider, presenting the personal information to the end user via the client computer and proxying subsequent interactions between the client computer and the personal information provider for a given session with the personal information provider.
The above and other objects and advantages of the present invention will become more readily apparent when reference is made to the following description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.